I had a really nice trip to the Guanfu Museum in Beijing this wee, but couldn't help wondering whether some of the items on display (particularly porcelain) were really authentic. Afterwards a few other collectors agreed. Has there been any research on fakes in Chinese museums?
The antiquities trade in China has a huge problem with fraud & fakes because China is far more prolific & innovative than anywhere else in this respect. Most of these are harmless but when they start making their into museums & fooling experts it becomes a real issue.
There has also been a somewhat more recent issue with self-styled researchers and academics as merchants for lost treasures (see @babelstone's blog on fake Khitania). I wonder to what extent they are actually infiltrating academia?
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